Cabinet installation assembly

ABSTRACT

A cabinet installation system is characterized by the use of adjustable brackets and rails used to align a wall or base cabinet for mounting the cabinets on a wall. The brackets include horizontal and vertical legs which are connected together at one end and by an adjustable device at the other end so that the brackets have a triangular configuration. The adjustable device varies the angle between the legs so that when the vertical leg of a bracket is mounted on a wall, the horizontal leg can be adjusted to a level position. Front and rear rails are adjustably connected with the brackets. With the brackets arranged in spaced relation on a wall and the horizontal legs adjusted to level, the rails are adjusted relative to each bracket, respectively, so that the rails are linear, parallel and spaced according to the depth of the cabinet. When a cabinet is aligned relative to the rails, it can be secured to the wall in a straight and level position.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/420,252 filed Apr. 27, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention relates to built-in cabinets and more specificallyto an assembly for the installation of wall and base cabinets.

There are two schools of thought as to where to start the installationof a set of wall and base cabinets. One procedure is to install the basecabinets first and the other is to install the wall cabinets first. Eachprocedure has its benefits. However, when the base cabinets areinstalled first, access to the wall cabinets is difficult because thebase cabinets protrude from the face of the wall cabinets. Conversely,when wall cabinets are installed first there is nothing to hold them inplace while they are leveled, plumbed and set to assure that the cabinetbox is not racked or secured to an uneven wall leaving the box twisted.Two installers are generally needed to install wall cabinets so that onecan hold the cabinet in place while the other fastens the cabinets tothe wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Various devices for supporting cabinets during mounting are known in theprior art as evidenced by the Goss U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,288 and theCunningham US patent application publication No. 2009/0008849. Theseprior devices include brackets for supporting a wall cabinet while it isfastened to the wall, with the Goss device being adjustable. While theseprior devices operate satisfactorily, they are rather cumbersome and donot provide both level and depth alignment of a cabinet relative to awall that is not square or even.

The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and otherdrawbacks of the prior cabinet mounting assemblies by providing amounting assembly that can support and align a cabinet and that allows acabinet to be mounted with only one installer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide acabinet installation assembly including a plurality of brackets each ofwhich includes horizontal and vertical legs which are connected at oneend so that the angular relation of the legs can be adjusted relative toeach other. An adjustment device is connected between the other ends ofthe legs, so that the brackets have a generally triangularconfiguration. The adjustment mechanism displaced the horizontal legrelative to the vertical leg to vary the angle between the legs. Frontand rear rails are connected with the horizontal leg. More particularly,the horizontal leg contains a spaced pair of slots adjacent to the endsof the leg. Fasteners are provided which pass through the slots andengage threaded openings in the rails so that the rails can be arrangedat fixed locations relative to a wall on which the vertical legs of thebrackets are mounted. The adjustment mechanisms are operable to levelthe horizontal legs and the rails are adjusted to a linear configurationto accommodate variations in the wall. A cabinet to be connected withthe wall is aligned relative to the front and rear rails and thenshimmed and fastened to the wall.

According to a further object of the invention, the adjustment mechanismcomprises a turnbuckle assembly and the rails have two portions definingan L-shaped configuration. The threaded openings are provided in oneportion of each rail and the other portion of each rail defines a flangewith which the front and rear edges of the cabinet are aligned.

The horizontal and vertical legs preferably include angled portions atthe end where the legs are connected with the hinge. The angled portionsdefine a region for accommodating the flange of the rear rail foralignment with the rear edge of the cabinet.

According to another object of the invention, the legs are integrallyformed as an L-shaped bracket and a cam mechanism is used to adjust thehorizontal leg relative to the vertical leg to level a cabinet prior tomounting on a wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma study of the following description when viewed in the light of theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the cabinetinstallation assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is cut away view of the turnbuckle adjustment mechanism for themounting bracket of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are top and side plan views, respectively, of a front railof the cabinet installation assembly according to the invention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are top and side plan views, respectively, of a rear railof the cabinet installation assembly according to the invention;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are front and top plan views, respectively, of a fastenerof the cabinet installation assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the cabinet installation assembly according tothe invention used for mounting a wall cabinet;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the cabinet installation assembly according tothe invention used for mounting a base cabinet;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a cabinet mounting bracketassembly according to an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are side and front plan views, respectively, of a loweradjustment bracket for the mounting bracket assembly of FIG. 12;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are side and front plan views, respectively, of an upperadjustment bracket for the mounting bracket assembly of FIG. 12; and

FIGS. 17, 18, and 19 are top, bottom, and front plan views of anadjustment handle for the mounting bracket assembly of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The cabinet installation assembly according to one embodiment of theinvention includes a plurality of adjustable brackets, one of which isshown in FIGS. 1-3. Each bracket 2 includes a horizontal leg 4 and avertical leg 6 which are connected at one end via a hinge 8 so that theangle between the legs is adjustable. More particularly, an adjustmentdevice 10 is connected between the other ends of the horizontal andvertical legs so that the bracket has a triangular configuration. Theadjustment device 10 is preferably removably connected with the legs.Thus, the vertical leg includes a flange 12 containing an opening andthe horizontal leg includes a flange 14 also containing an opening. Aclevis pin 16 passes through openings in the ends of the adjustmentdevice and the flanges to connect the ends of the adjustment device withthe respective legs. A cotter pin 18 passes through the clevis pin tofasten it in place.

The vertical leg contains an upper slot 20 and a lower slot 22 forreceiving a fastener such as a screw, not shown, to fasten the bracketto a wall by driving the screw into a stud of the wall. A plurality ofbrackets are mounted along the wall in spaced relation at the sameheight to assist with support and/or alignment of a cabinet or cabinetsas will be developed in greater detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the adjustment device contains a sleeve 24having a turnbuckle 26 or other similar device allowing for left handthreads on one side and right hand threads on the other connected withan inner surface thereof. The turnbuckle or center of the adjustment armis connected with an upper right hand threaded rod 28 secured to anupper portion 30 of the adjustment device and a lower left hand threadedrod 32 secured to a lower portion 34 of the adjustment device. Rotationof the sleeve by the user in one direction causes the turnbuckle torotate which in turn displaces the threaded rods and the upper and lowerportions of the adjustment device toward each other and rotation of thesleeve in the opposite direction displaces the threaded rods and theupper and lower portions of the adjustment device away from each other.Because the adjustment device is connected between the ends of the legs,the sleeve is operable to displace the ends of the legs toward and awayfrom each other to vary the angle between the legs. With the verticalleg fastened to a wall, rotation of the sleeve 24 raises or lowers theend of the horizontal leg remote from the wall.

The cabinet installation system according to the invention furtherincludes front and rear rails connected with the brackets. The frontrail 36 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and has an L-shaped configurationincluding a first portion 36 a which contains a plurality of spacedthreaded openings 38 and a second flange portion 36 b. The flangeportion is arranged generally normal to the first portion. The rear rail40 is similar to the front rail in that it also has an L-shapedconfiguration with first and second portions 40 a and 40 b and threadedopenings 42 in the first portion. The second or flange portion 40 b ispreferably shorter than the flange portion of the front rail. The railsare provided in suitable lengths such as six feet to extend across aplurality of brackets mounted on a wall. The rails are connected withthe brackets using fasteners 44 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Each fastenerincludes a knob 46 and a threaded stem 48.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the horizontal leg 4 includes a first slot 50adjacent to the end where the adjustment device is connected with thehorizontal leg and a second slot 52 adjacent to the hinge 8. In order toconnect the rails with the brackets, the fasteners pass through theslots and into a selected threaded hole in the respective rails. Theelongated slots allow the fasteners be positioned laterally relative tothe horizontal leg of each bracket. In this manner, the fasteners andthus the rails can be positioned relative to each bracket so that therails are arranged in a linear fashion and parallel to each other, eventhough the wall to which the brackets are fastened may not be perfectlyflat or square. Moreover, the rails can be spaced according to the depthof the cabinet being installed. Other adjustable fastening devices maybe used for connecting the rails with the horizontal legs of eachbracket.

Use of the cabinet installation system for mounting cabinets will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In FIG. 10, the cabinetinstallation system is shown for mounting a wall cabinet 50. A pluralityof brackets 2 (of which one is shown in FIG. 10) are mounted in parallelspaced relation on a wall 52. The front rail 36 is connected with thebracket via a front fastener 44 with the flange 36 b extendingdownwardly. The rear rail 40 is connected with the bracket via a rearfastener 44 with the flange 40 b extending downwardly into the voiddefined by the angled portions of the horizontal and vertical legsadjacent to the hinge. The brackets are adjusted by turning theirturnbuckles so that the front and rear rails are level. The rails areadjusted relative to the slots in the horizontal legs of each bracket sothat the rails are parallel and linear and spaced according to the depthof the cabinet. The cabinet is rested on the front and rear rails withthe front edge of the cabinet aligned with the flange of the front rail.Shims are inserted between the cabinet and the wall and the cabinet isthen secured to the wall studs in a conventional manner. The mountedcabinet is not twisted or curved in any manner and is also then plumband level.

FIG. 11 shows the cabinet installation system for a base cabinet 54. Aplurality of brackets 2 are mounted upside down relative to the bracketsof FIG. 10. The rails are connected with the brackets using fasteners 44and the rail flanges are directed upwardly. The brackets are adjusted sothat the rails are level and the rails are adjusted relative to thehorizontal legs so that the rails are parallel and linear and spacedaccording to the depth of the cabinet. The cabinet is shimmed at therear and bottom so that its front and rear edges are aligned with therail flanges. Once properly positioned, the cabinet is fastened to thewall 52, and preferably the wall studs, in a conventional manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-19, an alternate and preferred embodiment ofthe invention will be described. In FIG. 12, a pair of mounting brackets102 is shown. Each bracket includes a horizontal leg portion 104 and avertical leg portion 106. The leg portions are integrally formed as aunitary member having an L-shaped configuration. Preferably, the memberis formed of a lightweight metal such as aluminum which has a limitedamount of flexure where the ends of the leg portions meet. The verticalleg portion includes upper 120 and lower 122 slots for mounting thevertical leg portion on a wall in a manner similar to that of theembodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

An adjustment mechanism 110 is removably connected between the free endsof the horizontal and vertical leg portions so that the bracket has atriangular configuration. The adjustment mechanism includes a loweradjustment bracket 124 connected at its lower end with the lower end ofthe vertical leg portion by a suitable fastener such as a bolt 126 andan upper adjustment bracket 128 connected at its upper end with the freeend of the horizontal leg portion by a similar fastener 130. As shown inFIGS. 13 and 14, the lower adjustment bracket 124 contains a slot 124 atoward its upper end. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the upper adjustmentbracket 128 contains a plurality of spaced openings 128 a toward itsupper end. Referring back to FIG. 12, the upper and lower adjustmentbrackets overlap and fasteners such as bolts 132 pass through the slot124 a in the lower bracket 124 into the openings 128 a in the upperbracket 128 for connection with nuts 134. When the bolts 132 areloosened, the upper and lower brackets may be slidably displacedrelative to one another to raise or lower the end of the horizontal legportion relative to the vertical leg portion. When the horizontal legportion is level, the fasteners 132 are tightened to secure the bracketassembly in a given position.

In order to assist with adjustment of the brackets 124, 128, anadjustment handle 136 is provided as shown in FIG. 12. The handle isshown in greater detail in FIGS. 17-19. The handle includes a circularbase portion 136 a and a gripping portion 136 b which extends from thetop of the base portion. The base portion includes an opening 136 cwhich is offset from the center of the base portion as shown in FIGS. 17and 18. A fastener such as a bolt 138 is used to connect the handle withthe uppermost opening 128 a in the upper adjustment bracket 128 and thensecured with a nut 140. The connection affords rotational movement ofthe handle 136 relative to the bracket 128. The base portion 136 a ofthe handle abuts against the upper edge of the lower adjustment bracket124 as shown in FIG. 12. Because the pivot point of the handle baseportion 136 a is at the bolt 138 which is offset from the center of thebase portion, the base portion acts as a cam against the upper edge ofthe bracket 124. Accordingly, rotation of the handle displaces the lowerbracket relative to the upper bracket, effectively extending andretracting the adjustment mechanism to raise and lower the end of thehorizontal leg portion 104 of the bracket relative to the vertical legportion 106.

As in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-11, front rails 136 and rear rails 140are connected with the horizontal leg portions of a series of spacedbrackets via fasteners 144 as shown in FIG. 12 to provide a guide formounting cabinets in a level and linear position on a wall. An extrusion146 is provided to connect/align front rail sections.

The brackets and rails of the cabinet installation system can be formedof any rigid, durable material such as metal or synthetic plastic. Inaddition, when mounting a series of cabinets, spaces can be providedbetween cabinets to accommodate appliances, light fixtures, and thelike.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made without deviatingfrom the inventive concepts set forth above.

1. A cabinet installation bracket, comprising (a) a generally verticalleg adapted for removable connection with a wall; (b) a generallyhorizontal leg connected at one end with an upper end of said verticalleg; (c) an adjustment mechanism connected with the other ends of saidhorizontal and vertical legs, said adjustment mechanism being operableto displace said horizontal leg relative to said vertical leg to levelsaid horizontal leg, whereby when a cabinet is placed on said horizontalleg, said cabinet is arranged in a level position for connection withthe wall.
 2. A cabinet installation bracket as defined in claim 1,wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises a turnbuckle assembly.
 3. Acabinet installation bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein saidadjustment mechanism comprises a pair of brackets which are slidablyconnected for relative movement along their length.
 4. A cabinetinstallation bracket as defined in claim 3, wherein said bracketsinclude a first fastener for locking said brackets in a selectedposition relative to one another, thereby to secure said horizontal legin a selected position relative to said vertical leg.
 5. A cabinetinstallation bracket as defined in claim 4, wherein said first fastenercomprises at least one bolt and nut assembly which passes throughaligned openings and slots in said brackets, respectively.
 6. A cabinetinstallation bracket as defined in claim 4, and further comprising ahandle connected with said brackets for displacing one of said bracketsrelative to the other bracket.
 7. A cabinet installation bracket asdefined in claim 6, wherein said handle includes a cam mechanismabutting against one end of one of said brackets.
 8. A cabinetinstallation bracket as defined in claim 1, wherein said horizontal andvertical legs are integrally connected.
 9. A cabinet installationbracket as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a hinge forconnecting said horizontal and vertical legs.
 10. A cabinet installationassembly comprising a plurality of brackets as defined in claim 1mounted in spaced parallel relation on the wall, and further comprisinga first rail adjustably connected with the horizontal legs of saidbrackets and arranged transversely thereto, whereby said adjustmentmechanism of each bracket may be operated to displace said horizontalleg of each bracket until said first rail is level and said first railis adjusted relative to each horizontal leg until said first rail islinear, and further whereby a cabinet to be installed on the wall isaligned with an edge of said first rail to position the cabinet prior tofastening it to the wall.
 11. A cabinet installation assembly as definedin claim 10, wherein said horizontal leg of each of said bracketscontains a slot for receiving a second fastener for adjustablyconnecting said first rail to said horizontal leg.
 12. A cabinetinstallation assembly as defined in claim 11, and further comprising asecond rail adjustably connected with the horizontal legs of saidbrackets in spaced relation to said first rail, said first and secondrails being arranged at opposite ends of said horizontal legs forsupporting a cabinet whose front edge is aligned with said first rail.13. A cabinet installation assembly as defined in claim 12, wherein saidfirst and second rails contain a plurality of spaced parallel threadedopenings for receiving said fastener.
 14. A cabinet installation asdefined in claim 13, wherein said first and second rails have twoportions defining an L-shaped configuration, said threaded openingsbeing arranged in one portion of said rails, the other portion defininga flange with which the edges of the cabinet are aligned.
 15. A cabinetinstallation as defined in claim 14, wherein said one end of saidhorizontal and vertical legs includes end portions angled toward saidhinge, thereby to define a region for accommodating a flange of saidsecond rail for alignment with the rear edge of the cabinet.